PaintDays

When to paint a house exterior in Sauk Rapids, MN

When to paint in Sauk Rapids, MN

A short season: book early and expect weather delays. The painting window is July to August, with 2 good months a year. The best month is July, at about 17 painting days. Book a painter by May.

If you want the house done in July to August, call for quotes in May or earlier; a job pushed past August is likely to wait until next year. For a deck, the months with enough staining days to spare are Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

  1. under 1Jan
  2. under 1Feb
  3. under 1Mar
  4. 1Apr
  5. 5May
  6. 12Jun
  7. 17Jul
  8. 14Aug
  9. 10Sep
  10. 2Oct
  11. under 1Nov
  12. under 1Dec

Month by month

MonthPainting daysStaining daysWith low-temp paintAvg low / high
Januaryunder 1under 1under 18° / 24°F
Februaryunder 1under 1under 17° / 27°F
Marchunder 1under 1222° / 42°F
April1under 1733° / 55°F
May541646° / 71°F
June1281557° / 82°F
July17111760° / 84°F
August14111758° / 80°F
September10101752° / 75°F
October221039° / 58°F
Novemberunder 1under 1326° / 43°F
Decemberunder 1under 1under 115° / 30°F

Deck stain does best in July. Low-temperature paint adds about 44 days a year here.

Towns near Sauk Rapids compared

4 of the 6 nearest places get more painting days, the most in Big Lake (78 a year, 26 miles southeast). A gap like that between towns is usually elevation, a coast or a lake, which is why a painter from a few towns over can be on a different schedule. Sartell, St. Cloud are read from the same station as Sauk Rapids, so their numbers match; the real difference is the distance from that station.

PlaceFrom Sauk RapidsPainting days a yearWindowStation
Sartell, MN3 mi northwest61July to Augustsame station
St. Cloud, MN5 mi south61July to Augustsame station
Big Lake, MN26 mi southeast78June to AugustMaple Lake Municipal Airport
Monticello, MN27 mi southeast78June to AugustMaple Lake Municipal Airport
Buffalo, MN32 mi southeast78June to AugustMaple Lake Municipal Airport
Elk River, MN34 mi southeast71June to SeptemberCrystal Airport

How Sauk Rapids ranks in MN

Of 103 MN places with 10,000 people or more, Sauk Rapids (population 13,832, 84th largest) ranks 92nd for painting days, 12 days below the state median of 73. The longest season in the state is Owatonna, 100 days, 113 miles southeast. The shortest is Hibbing at 23. Switching to low-temperature paint here is worth 44 extra days, more than most of the summer months on their own.

Where these numbers come from

Daily records from St Cloud Regional Airport (6.1 miles away), 2015 to 2024, NOAA Global Summary of the Day. A month is good at 12+ painting days and possible at 6+.